Woman Accused of Misusing Popular Tax Software to Obtain $2.1M Tax Refund Asks for Public Defender

An Oregon woman accused of using TurboTax to file a falsified return and obtain a $2.1 million state tax refund to which she wasn’t entitled has requested a public defender.

Krystle Marie Reyes, 25, was granted the PD by Marion County Circuit Judge Joseph Ochoa on Thursday, as she appeared voluntarily at a court hearing with what appeared to be diamond rings on both hands, the Oregonian reports.

However, the judge ordered her taken into custody in lieu of $50,000 bail after the prosecutor—who sought $200,000 bail—argued that she is a flight risk.

Reyes is accused of spending about $200,000 of the $2.1 million refund she received on a debit card.

The unusually large amount triggered a manual check of her return by the state revenue department, but it was then approved for processing. But when she then reported the debit card lost or stolen, a second manual check was triggered, and that time the return was flagged as apparently fraudulent.